First Encounter

[Noa]

Priestess Jora
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(3/25/02 3:51 pm)
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Jora was finished with her ho-hum little life in Qeynos as an apprenticing cleric. She was certain that Karana had more interesting things for her to do so she set off to see the world, and got as far as the city gates. Unfortunately for her, the Knights of Thunder had gotten word of her plot to escape her daily routine of yard maintenance and laundry and she was apprehended before she managed to get herself killed. The Knights knew she'd never survive on her own and keeping a short leash on her (about as long as the Temple grounds) was for the best, if only until they found a suitable escort.

A week later she managed to slip past those same guards at the city gates and wandered about to her heart's content – within view of the gate of course. She only knew a few basic spells to heal the minor cuts and bruises, and had a wooden club to smack around a few heads (just in case). But she was proud as a Val Shir: she was on an ADVENTURE! The sun began to set, and her tummy started to rumble, so after a couple of wondrously entertaining hours she walked back to the Temple of Thunder with a bag full of rat parts, and was promptly taught how to cook. Rat stew for a week was her punishment for sneaking out again without permission. That put a damper on adventuring for a while, but it was never far from her mind. (The rat stew, unfortunately, was in the forefront.)

Her father came to Qeynos one weekend to repair the armor of the captain of the guards. After he had finished with the badly dented breastplate he made his way to the Temple of Thunder to visit his only daughter. Jora was sitting on the ground in the courtyard reading a book.

"Jora my darling!" Her father reached out his arms and the young girl ran across the grounds and leaped into them.

"Father! I've missed you so." She gave her father a kiss on the cheek and he whirled her around.

"Your mother and I have been missing you as well dear." He smiled, "I have a surprise for you. Get your cloak my girl. We're going to the circus." Jora giggled with glee as she gathered her cloak and a small bag. Then father and daughter made their way outside the city to the traveling circus.

Three hours flew by as they watched the amazing feats of strength, hilarious clowns, and flying acrobats that had Jora bouncing around in her seat. "Did you see that da!" She'd cry after most every performance. When it was all over and they were walking away, her father was called aside by a large and sinister looking man. He stopped to talk and Jora slowly backed away and banged into something solid but soft.

"Hey!" Came a squeaky voice from behind her. Jora quickly turned around. As she did so her long red braid smacked the face of the boy she had crashed into leaving a red mark. He reached up and yanked on her hair. "Ouch!"

The young lad laughed and took off running with Jora fast in pursuit. They jumped over crates, ran under wagons, and splashed through puddles of mud. He was always out of reach just when Jora thought she had him. Suddenly he disappeared. "Hello?" Jora called out. "Where did you go?" There was no answer. She waited in that spot for five minutes but he never returned. With a sigh she reached into her small bag and placed a tiny beaded bracelet on the ground. The children of the city called them friendship bracelets and she had made only one. The young priestess then left to find her father.

Valhal peeked out from behind a tent and slowly walked to the place he had seen the girl kneel down. He reached down to pick up the object in the mud, wiped it off in his pants, and slipped it onto his wrist.

Far, far away a solemn figure smiled and turned away from a large cauldron of water.